Concert Review: Cherub at the 9:30 Club

The band inspired fans, along with openers Boo Seeka and Frenship, on Sept. 23

Cherub took to the stage of the 9:30 club on Friday, Sept. 23 for the second time since their forming, accompanied by two openers, Boo Seeka and Frenship. Doors opened at 8 p.m., and concertgoers quickly filled the dimly lit floor and balcony of the club.

As more fans arrived, it became clear the bands attracted a younger age demographic of mostly college-age students and twenty-something’s. It seemed as though some fans came only for the openers. Although distinct from each other in many senses, elements of Boo Seeka, Frenship and Cherub blend together to form a pulsating electronic symphony.

Despite being all recently formed bands, each act generated enough popularity to sell out the show. Boo Seeka, an Australian duo created within just the past eight months, opened the night with a set of songs that throbbed to the beat of synthesizers and shook with an electronic bass.

Both performers were clad in all black shredded tanks and ripped jeans, and exuded a stage presence of ominous punk rock. The swift and heavy drops of the bass complemented the subdued tones of the vocalist. The crowd swayed rhythmically to songs like “Deception Bay,” and jumped to the beat found in “Fool.” The energy of the audience, however, was no match for the verve that took over Boo Seeka. Both electrified the stage as they jumped and leapt around.

After about a fifteen-minute intermission, Frenship entered the stage, relighting the spark of the audience. The punk aesthetic of Boo Seeka was replaced by the Bohemian style of the main pair, which performed with three others instrumentalists. Originally from Los Angeles, James Sunderland and Brett Hite first turned heads with the single “Knives,” but generated over one hundred million streams of their song, “Capsize.”

After initial technical difficulties, Frenship wasted no time before Cherub took the stage. They performed other hits such as “Knives,” “1000 Nights” and finally “Capsize.” As the transcendent melodies of “Capsize” pulsated with the heavy beat, the energy on stage and in the crowd peaked.

By around 11 p.m. Cherub finally kicked off the most anticipated performance of the show with their hit, “Disco Shit.” Cherub is also a duo consisting of Jordan Kelley and Jason Huber, who formed the band just six years ago in Nashville, Tennessee. Much of their set list were songs from their most recent album, “Year of the Caprese.” They did, however, treat the crowd to several tracks of their new album, “Bleed Gold, Piss Excellence,” set to release on October 14.

Although easily distinguishable from each other, many of Cherub’s songs feature mystical vocal tones set to synthesized bass drops reminiscent of 80’s pop tracks. By the time they left the stage they performed most of their hits, including “Freaky Me, Freaky You,” “XOXO” and “<3 (Heart).”

They exited the stage, and instead of shouting the typical “encore,” the crowd shouted “Doses,” referring to Cherub’s biggest hit, “Doses and Mimosas.” As it played, it seemed as if each audience member was singing along and jumping to the beat. By the time Cherub had left the stage for good and the lights came on, some were still dancing and jumping to the synthesizers still resonating in their ears.